Squad news

TACTICS: PROBLEMS ON THE WINGS

16 Apr 2016Víctor has been facing problems to cover the wingers position on the season, for the upcoming game at Sevilla CF he will miss Cartabia, one of the most in-form teams at the team and he is planning a major change at the lineup.

If Deportivo have had a problem on this season it is located at the winger position. There’s only one natural winger at the squad, Jonás Gutiérrez, and with the Argentine failing to impress it has created a problem as Depor have been missing depth on the sides, a situation that has been worsened taking in mind the lack of aim of the full-backs at the moment of releasing crosses.

And it’s that coach Víctor Sánchez has been using centre midfielders and playmakers in that position, the strategy is to see them crossing the field in order to join the centre of the attack coming from the sides, when the system works it allows to cover the position bringing depth and also adds support by the centre.

It’s a double benefit and the Squawka illustration shows how this strategy works, in the case it is the heat map of Fede Cartabia in the 3-3 draw with Málaga CF:

The problem is that many times the centre-midfielder/playmaker that ends performing as a winger trends to end lost on the field, missing to step into the wing, which means to miss depth, and then failing to join the attacks by the centre. So, that player ends without been noticed in the game

It is what happened in the home game with UD Las Palmas as the Squawka heat map of Cartabia shows up:

For Sunday’s game Víctor may opt in completely change the strategy, firstly Cartabia won’t play the game as he is dragging a back problem, he has been one of the best players at the team in recent weeks and the reaction of the coach could be in switching the draw.

Ahead of the game against Sevilla CF, Víctor has been testing a 5-3-2 draw with three centre-backs and three centre midfielders playing in their natural position, and then the couple Lucas-Luis Alberto in attack. It’s a radical change as there isn’t a fixed player on the wings.